VZCZCXRO1149
RR RUEHAST RUEHBI RUEHLH RUEHNEH RUEHPW
DE RUEHCI #0003 0070938
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 070938Z JAN 09
FM AMCONSUL KOLKATA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2235
INFO RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHINGTON DC
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHINGTON DC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC
RUEHPH/CDC ATLANTA GA
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHINGTON DC
RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE
RUEHCI/AMCONSUL KOLKATA 2732

UNCLAS KOLKATA 000003 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR OES/PCI, OES/IHB AND SCA/INS 
STATE FOR STAS AND AIAG (REED-ROWE) 
STATE PASS TO NSF FOR INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS 
STATE PASS TO USAID 
HHS FOR NIH/FIC (GLASS/MAMPILLY/HANDLEY) 
HHS FOR FDA (LUMPKIN/VALDEZ) 
HHS PASS TO OGHA (STEIGER/ABDOO) 
HHS FOR CDC (BLOUNT/COX) 
USDA FOR APHIS (FLEMING/BURLESON) 
USDA FOR FAS (RIKER/BEAN) 
NEW DELHI FOR FAS/APHIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAGR SENV CASC PGOV AMED KFLU IN BG
SUBJECT: NEW CONFIRMED AVIAN INFLUENZA OUTBREAKS IN WEST BENGAL 
 
REF: A. 08 KOLKATA 357 
     ¶B. 08 KOLKATA 354 
 
¶1. (U) On January 2 the Indian Ministry of Agriculture confirmed 
the presence of H5N1 virus in poultry in two non-contiguous 
administrative blocks of Darjeeling, a district in northern West 
Bengal.  Avian influenza (AI) was confirmed in Matigara in 
southern Darjeeling and Tukdah in the northern part of the 
district.  These blocks are located approximately 40 km from one 
another.  The principal secretary with the government of West 
Bengal's Animal Resources Development Department told post that 
it has culled 1700 birds in Tukdah and plans to cull 22,000 
birds in Matigara by January 7.  There have been no registered 
cases of human infection. 
 
Comment 
 
¶2. (SBU) Since November 2008 there have been three confirmed 
epicenters in West Bengal (see reftels), in addition to the 
seventeen in the neighboring Indian state of Assam and seven in 
the neighboring country of Bangladesh.  There is no proven 
linkage between the outbreaks in this region as of now, although 
geographically they are concentrated in the transborder areas 
surrounding the northwestern part of Bangladesh. The size and 
scale of the current AI outbreak in West Bengal remains limited 
when compared with the outbreak in 2008 and state government 
officials are more confident in their abilities to contain the 
outbreak.  The geographic concentration of AI in a swath 
extending from western Assam across northwestern Bangladesh into 
northern West Bengal is worth examining. 
 
PAYNE